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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Most sports books labor under the same burdensome motif: the subject is the greatest example there has ever been.

The Mick is the most tragic tragic-hero, while the Boss is the most
contradictory contradiction; or this season or that season most embodies
the soul of baseball. It's easy to understand why writers take this
tack- why else would we bother to read the book?

So when a book comes along that is relatively hyperbole free, I find it refreshing.

Author Les Krantz gives about 2-3 pages to each Fall Classic, about
half of which is taken up by some lovely photo spreads. In that space,
Krantz is forced to recap the Series in a couple hundred words. He does
an admirable job considering that limitation, though I'm sure hardcore
fans will feel that the analysis is perfunctory for the World Series
they can remember.

The book also features periodic sidebars highlighting things like
notable events (The called shot, Larson's perfect game), important
players (Yogi Berra and Lou Gehrig), and other historic footnotes
(Yankee-Dodger matchups and Yankees in the Armed Forces).

Beyond the wonderful collection of images (both photographs and
pictures of tickets, pins and program covers), I think one of the real
strengths of the book is in connecting the key narrative of the season
to the events of the postseason. This makes it a great starting point
for younger fans, and for those of us who wish we had a stronger grasp
on the team's early history.

3.5 stars (out of four): Only a more in-depth (and
significantly longer) book would have been more satisfying, and Krantz
gets extra points for not whitewashing Yankee history- from rightly
noting the footnote status of the '51 World Series, to the lousy ratings
for the 2000 Subway Series, to Alex Rodriguez's
steroid admission, he's willing to remind us that the Yankees'
dominance of baseball is not monolithic, uncontroversial or
pre-ordained. Each Fall Classic (win or lose) is a unique event, and
each is something to celebrate.